Yoga for Plus Size Beginners: the best plus-sized yoga poses for larger women and bigger bodies. A beginner-friendly workout to practice daily.
Yoga practice is for all shapes and sizes. This post will encourage you to start yoga, no matter your weight or level of fitness.
Starting your first yoga class can be intimidating. And, if you’re overweight, things can become double daunting.
Yoga practice has incredible benefits, including reducing stress and improving flexibility and balance. At Health Shales, we want everyone to love yoga, no matter your size, bodyweight, or experience.
These plus-size yoga variations are perfect for overweight beginners and are designed to improve flexibility and self-esteem; while encouraging weight loss. Plus, it only takes 10 minutes to complete.
Related: 11 Weight Loss Tips for Morbidly Obese Women
Is yoga good for plus size?
With regular practice, yoga is an excellent workout for a plus-sized person. As an overweight beginner, yoga can be challenging as you’re using bodyweight in new and awkward positions. Starting yoga can help overweight beginners to burn calories, improve posture and blood flow,
Let’s debunk two common yoga myths before you start your first yoga class:
MYTH #1 You have to be in shape and wear skin-tight leggings to practice yoga.
MYTH #2 You need to be flexible enough to fold like a pretzel to do yoga.
The truth is yoga takes practice and dedication to achieve the results we often associate with yoga.
No matter your level of physical fitness or body type, starting yoga for the first time can be difficult.
And, if you’re a bigger-bodied person, feeling comfortable and confident enough to practice yoga can be both mentally and physically challenging.
That’s why the following yoga workout has been designed with larger women in mind.
SECRET FACT: many yoga teachers started as overweight beginners who mastered poses and slowly developed their fitness. So, always ask a yoga teacher their story and yoga journey.
If you’re a plus-sized beginner, practice this easy routine every day to boost your confidence and improve your flexibility.
You can also use this gentle yoga workout as a cardio exercise routine to help you burn fat, lose weight and develop muscle tone.
1. Start With a Meditation Posture
Also known as the Quarter Lotus, this is a beautiful way to start any beginner yoga routine. This pose will help you to relax and focus on your body posture. It may look simple, but this can be challenging tight hips. Take your time to perfect this pose by practicing regularly.
2. The Reverse Prayer Pose
Gently move into this reversed prayer pose (Reverse Anjali Mudra); as an excellent stretch for your upper body.
To achieve this pose, roll your shoulders down and back, try to open the front of your chest, and bring your palms as close together as you can.
REMEMBER: everyone’s body is different. If you’re beginning your yoga journey, this pose can be challenging. Keep practicing and track your progress,
Feel free to stand for a slightly different variation of this pose. But keep in mind this can be more difficult for bigger bodies.
3. The Tree Pose
The tree pose (Vrikshasana) is a popular yoga exercise, perfect for practicing balancing and posture.
Hold a prayer pose and lift your left leg into a balanced stance. Take a few deep breaths, and then repeat with your right leg.
This is a challenging yet rewarding pose to learn for overweight beginners.
As your confidence grows, you can try and more advanced version by raising your arms above your head and lifting your leg higher.
4. The Upward Salute Pose
The Upward Salute (Urdhva Hastasana) is the perfect movement to stretch the sides of your upper body, spine, shoulders, and stomach.
Lean deeply into the stretch as much as you can, shift your body weight and breath.
For bigger bodies, this full-body exercise can also help you to lose weight and build muscle tone.
5. The Warrior Pose
Warrior Pose (Virabhadrasana) is a great stretch to add to your yoga sequence. It’s great to build power, balance, and stability, and it’s a beginner-friendly pose for overweight people.
Once again, remember to breathe and to practice inner peace.
6. The Cobra Pose
The Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana) is another excellent exercise that strengthens your arms, shoulders, and back muscles.
This is a perfect movement for plus-size women who may hold extra weight on their chest, which can cause stress to the lower back.
7. The Downward Dog Pose
The downward dog (Adho Mukha Shvanasana) is one of the best yoga poses for improving your blood circulation and posture.
It’s also a slightly more challenging position for plus-size beginners, which makes this one of the best cardio exercises to help you lose those extra pounds.
I recommend practicing these easy yoga poses daily to master the movements and build your confidence.
Once you feel ready, you can slowly integrate more advanced yoga poses into your workout. Cat pose, Corpse pose, Bridge pose Cow pose are all great stretched to progress into.
The last step is to join a class. You can find great yoga studios and yoga teachers online.
Look for yoga classes with a diverse mix of attendees. You can also find great online communities as well as youtube videos if you’d prefer to enjoy yoga from the comfort of your home.